RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
The RIM 116 RAM ( R olling A irframe M issile) is a missile-based close-in weapon system (CIWS) for ships, which is capable of anti- anti-ship missiles trap. A wide range of current threats is covered, including seaskimmers and highly maneuverable missiles. In tests against both single missiles and salvos, the system achieved an effectiveness of over 95%. Depending on the size of the ship to be protected, up to three starters are used.
The RIM-116 missile, together with the MK-49 launcher (Guided Missile Launching System, GMLS), forms the RAM MK-31 weapon system. In this version it has to be integrated into the ship's combat system in order to receive target information, as the missile cannot use its sensors before take-off. An independently usable version ( SeaRAM ) is under development.
development
The development of the Rolling Airframe Missile began in the mid-1970s by General Dynamics . Initially developed only by the USA , the first operational attempts were made in 1978. In 1979 the USA, Denmark and Germany jointly took over and continued development. In 1984 the USS David R. Ray (DD-971) was equipped with the first US Navy launcher.
The missile uses the seeker head of the FIM-92 Stinger and the motor and warhead of the AIM-9 Sidewinder . In addition to the first version, which initially uses radar and infrared on the final approach for target acquisition, an improved version has been developed that can also control the target in pure infrared mode.
The starter of the weapon system was developed partly from components of the CIWS and holds 21 missiles in the standard version; The Danish Navy uses a smaller version with eleven guided missiles.
The RAM guided missiles and parts of the starter construction are also used in the SeaRAM system from Raytheon .
Rolling airframe control
The missile has a pair of steering wings behind the seeker head. During the flight, the rocket rotates around its longitudinal axis. As soon as the sensor detects a source of heat, the pair of steering blades jumps out of the fuselage. It is not parallel, but offset by a few degrees to the longitudinal axis and thus changes the direction of flight. If the self-rotation continues, the target moves out of the detection area of the viewfinder again and the steering wings are retracted until the heat source comes back into the detection area. In this way, the rocket “screws” itself towards the target, hence the name “rolling airframe missile”. The advantages of this method compared to a control around all axes are the self-stabilization through the rotation and the waiver of servomotors , since you only have to switch between folded and unfolded state.
Users
The German Navy currently uses the RAM system on all frigates ( F122 , F123 , F124 , Baden-Württemberg class ) and the K130 class corvettes (Braunschweig class). It was also used on the Gepard class speedboats, which have since been decommissioned . The system will also be used on the planned multi-purpose combat ships 180 . In 2013, Germany ordered 445 RAM Block 2 missiles to replace the Block 0 generation after almost 20 years of use.
The US Navy has installed the RAM weapon system on aircraft carriers , DropShips and the Littoral Combat Ship . The navies of South Korea , Greece , Egypt , the UAE and Turkey have introduced the RAM weapons system as third country customers .
variants
- Block 0 / RIM-116A: Original version introduced in 1992
- Block 1 / RIM-116B: In series production since 2000. Upgraded version for use against seaskimmers (especially low-flying small targets) and supersonic missiles. For this, the infrared part of the RAM has been modernized, which can now also take over the steering completely independently (Block 0 also requires the detection of an enemy radar).
- Block 1A (HAS-mode ( H elicopter, A ircraft, and S urface targets)): Software Update for Block 1. Allows of combat helicopters, combat aircraft and small surface targets.
- Block 2 / RIM-116C: Development completed, IOC at the US Navy in June 2015, delivery to the German Navy planned from 2016. With an improved control section and now four instead of two canards , the agility could be improved by 150% according to the manufacturer, in order to be able to intercept such strongly maneuvering anti-ship missiles better. Thanks to a new rocket motor with an enlarged diameter (14.6 cm instead of the previous 12.7 cm) and a lighter composite housing , the range has been increased by 50% to around 13 km. In addition, the passive radar seeker has been modernized in order to better detect radars with LPI properties.
Technical specifications
Guided missile (block 1)
- Manufacturer: Translant Inc., MBDA Deutschland GmbH , Diehl BGT Defense , (starter device is also manufactured by FFG GmbH Flensburg)
- Length: 2.79 m
- Diameter: 127 mm
- Wingspan: 445 mm
- Weight: 73.5 kg
- Speed: approx. Mach 3
- Range: 9 km
- Propulsion: single-stage solid rocket
- Warhead: 11.36 kg HE explosives
- Detonator: laser-based proximity detonator
- Steering: passive radar, IR, UV
starter
- Weight:
- above deck (including guided weapons): 5188 kg
- below deck: 941 kg
- Turning circle: 3.48 m
- Agility:
- horizontal: 360 °
- vertical: - 25 ° to + 80 °
Web links
- ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: raytheon.com/products/ram )
- ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: eads.com/1024/de/businet/defence/missiles/navalsup/ram/ram.html )
- ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: RAM on the website of the developer and manufacturer Diehl BGT )
- http://www.waffenhq.de/schiffe/rim-116ram.htm
- http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2200&tid=800&ct=2